Indian swimmer Virdhawal Khade retires from domestic swimming events after winning gold at National Games

Panjim: Veteran Indian swimmer Virdhawal Khade has retired from domestic competitions after winning the 50m freestyle gold at the National Games here.

Khade touched the wall to pip India's upcoming swimming sensation Srihari Nataraj for the 50m freestyle gold on Tuesday night.

It was quite clear from the celebration that the gold medal winning performance meant something more for the man who became the youngest Indian swimmer to qualify for the Olympics back in 2008.

He had then ended India's 24-year wait for a swimming medal at the Asian Games in 2010 with a bronze in 50m butterfly.

Khade revealed that the National Games are set to be his last outing as a competitive swimmer in India and he wanted to end things on a high.

"What is also special about this medal is that I won my first national medal back in 2001 in Goa and today it feels like life has come full circle with the gold medal at my last Nationals again in Goa," he said.

"Back then, I could never have imagined I would become the swimmer that I am today, so I really want to thank all the coaches and all the people who have been a part of this journey," said one of India's most decorated swimmers.

Khade had announced his arrival on the national scene at the Junior Nationals in Margao in 2001 and broke multiple national records in the years to come.

The demands of his job with the Maharashtra government was followed by a knee injury, which meant that the Kolhapur-born swimmer lost out a few years at his peak.

However, he made a strong comeback in 2018 and went on to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Khade got emotional as he reflected on his journey from being a talented youngster back in 2001 to returning to Goa as veteran before explaining his decision to retire from domestic meets.

"At heart, I still feel young, but the body is feeling tired now. Too many years have gone by, and I've swum too much in this span. I don't recover as quickly as I once used to.

"Earlier I could do 10 events without breaking a sweat, but even 3 events feel like a tall order now. I still enjoy the nerves I get before the race though. I don't think that feeling will ever leave me," he said.

"This was my last event in India. You might see me again as a coach someday, but this was my last competitive race here for sure," said Khade, who had started coaching youngsters in Mumbai when he was recovering from his injury.